


I'll Walk on Water to Lend You Some Air

by zabimaru69103



Series: I've Never Loved a Darker Blue [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Langst, M/M, Memory Loss, Minor Violence, confused keith, he's just overprotective, kind of an ass Shiro, klance, klangst, not graphic but there, snarky pidge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-17
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-11-15 03:24:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11222277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zabimaru69103/pseuds/zabimaru69103
Summary: Keith comes out of a healing pod having no idea how he ended up in it. The other paladins won't fill him in but everyone is acting weird, especially Lance. Keith is determined to find out what happened but when another mission goes wrong, he may not get the chance...





	I'll Walk on Water to Lend You Some Air

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my very first Voltron fic and my first contribution to the fandom! I'm trying not to lurk anymore. Many thanks to my lovely beta readers: [yoruhoshi](http://yoruhoshi.tumblr.com/), [buttered-poptarts](http://buttered-poptarts.tumblr.com/), [piemakcr](https://piemakcr.tumblr.com/) I couldn't have done it without you.  
> I hope you all enjoy!  
> ****  
> 6/17 Title Change from _I May Have Lost Time but I'm Not Losing You_ to _I'll Walk on Water to Lend You Some Air_

Keith never did like the feeling of being in a healing pod. It reminded him of floating in space; dark and cold though sometimes not as quiet. Sometimes he'd be just conscious enough to notice muted sounds filter through but not enough to actually wake up.   

 

_"..taking longer to…"_

 

_"…sure he's ok…."_

 

The voices would drift in and out for a little while and then things would be silent again. Possibly the others checking in on him or a dream. It was always so hard to tell.

 

_"…can't believe…"_

 

_"I'm sorry, I-I didn't…"_

 

_"…get out…"_

 

Those voices were louder than last time. What were they talking about? Keith couldn't piece enough of the string of sounds that reached him together. What had happened to put him in a pod? A mission maybe? Or were they attacked? No, that didn't sound right. Definitely a mission; a mission to…

 

_"If Lance hadn't…"_

 

_"…blame him!"_

 

They were arguing? About what? If Lance hadn't what? Blame who? Damn it he needed to wake up!

 

_"…think he's waking up."_ That was Coran.

 

_"Keith? Keith can you hear me?"_ And Shiro.

 

Keith heard the dull hiss of the pod opening and before he could even try to open his eyes he was stumbling out of it into something solid but warm. Finally getting his eyes to open with a few blinks, the young red paladin looked up at Shiro with a confused expression. "What happened?" He murmured, moving to stand on his own and not lean against Shiro as he shook off the last of the grogginess from the pod. He missed the concerned look the older paladin sent Coran.

 

"You don't remember." Shiro managed to phrase it less like a question and more like a statement but Keith shook his head anyway.

 

"Not really. Want to fill me in?" Something felt weird; off even. Hunk, Pidge, and Lance weren't here which was odd because the whole team was always there when someone came out of a pod. It was an unspoken tradition now.

 

_"I'm sorry, I-I didn't…"_

_"…get out…"_

_"If Lance hadn't…."_

_"…blame him!"_

 

The snippets of conversations he thought he'd heard before waking up made him uneasy. He was still trying to figure out how to voice the concern when Shiro finally answered him and pulled him out of his thoughts.

 

"We were on a scouting mission for resources for the castle. We thought the planet was uninhabited but it turned out there was native…wildlife that could camouflage and cloak against heat sensors. That's why they didn't come up on our scans." Shiro looked both puzzled and concerned by that, but only for a brief moment before he continued on. "It was a hard fight and you were injured. You've been out for a week. How do you feel?"

 

Keith couldn't help but frown at him. "I was out for a week and that's it?" He asked, ignoring his mentor's concerned question. That couldn't be it. If that were it then everyone would be here. If that were it, Shiro wouldn't be so stiff; like he was trying not to be angry. "What about everyone else? Where are they? Are they ok?" He finally questioned in rapid succession unable to stand the uneasy feeling any longer. Shiro's expression immediately darkened in what Keith knew was frustration and disappointment as he looked away. Keith had always hated that look and he couldn't help but wonder who had earned it and why.

 

When Shiro didn't answer, Coran stepped up beside him. "The others are all fine. Well, number five’s wrist is still immobile but other than that everyone is fine," he smiled at Keith in what Keith could only assume was supposed to be reassurance, but even Coran's usual bravado was somewhat diminished.  He was about to just come out and ask what the hell was going on when Allura suddenly walked in.

 

"Oh Keith, you're awake! It's about time," she greeted with her usual smile. At least Keith thought it was the usual smile; She was always the hardest to read. "Coran, why don't you and Keith head to the kitchen? I'm sure he's hungry after being in the pod for so long." Keith could tell by her tone that it wasn't really a suggestion. He had to wonder how she made commands sound so…pleasant. Coran just looked relieved and before Keith could offer up any form of protest, snagged him by the wrist and started leading him towards the kitchen.

 

"An excellent idea, Princess! Come with me Keith. I'll whip something up for you right away!"

 

It was at least two hours before Keith managed to escape Coran's motherly clutches and he still hadn't seen any sign of his fellow paladins. He had to figure out what was going on. He wanted to talk to Lance; that small bit of the argument he'd heard was still nagging at him. He also knew that if the blue paladin didn't want to be found then he probably wouldn't be able to. Oh, he knew all the usual places by now: The Blue Lion, the pool, Lance's room, even the observation deck. Keith also knew that Lance probably wouldn't be in the usual places if he truly didn't want to see anyone and while he didn't know if that was the case, the fact that he hadn't seen _or heard_ Lance for hours had him leaning in that direction. That left Hunk or Pidge. If the argument truly did have something to do with Lance, then Hunk would probably be the most informed but also the most tight lipped if Lance had asked him not to say anything. Better to start with Pidge.

 

When he reached the Green Lion's hangar, he found their resident genius muttering to themselves over a computer; Not unusual. Watching them try to type at their normal speed with one hand was unusual though. It would have also been a little amusing if the reason they were doing it wasn't strapped tightly against their chest in a sling.

 

"Hey Pidge, how's the wrist?" Keith asked in way of greeting as he walked over to them. Pidge looked up at him with a surprised expression before it turned pleased.

 

"Keith! You're finally awake. Geez, you sure did take long enough. We were starting to wonder…You had us worried you know." They chided with a relieved smile as they patted the space beside them in an invitation to sit before turning back to their screen. "Wrist is fine. Honestly it looks worse than it is. Coran and Shiro are worse than mother hens. You were the one who got really messed up. How are you feeling?"

 

The red paladin couldn't help but smile a little at Pidge's attitude. He'd always liked that about them: honest and straight to the point and never really holding back how they felt about something. Coran and Shiro really were mother hens but only Pidge could get away with saying that. "I'm alright. A little groggy," he answered, expression turning thoughtful for a moment before he continued. "Actually I… can't remember what happened on the mission. When I asked Shiro about it, he just said something about getting attacked by the local wildlife and then it just got all…"

 

He made a gesture with his hand as he searched for the word and Pidge looked at him amused before supplying: "Shiro-y?"

 

"Exactly." Keith agreed with a sigh before continuing. "He wouldn't tell me. Coran just told me that everyone was alright besides your wrist and then Allura came in and had me dragged off to the kitchen. So, what happened out there?"

 

Pidge just looked at him for a moment before sighing and straightening their glasses. "It's…complicated, I guess. Shiro gave you the gist of it. We were attacked by some wild animals. Big ones. Things got messy and you got hurt pretty bad."

 

"Being vague isn't like you, Pidge," Keith accused lightly, not really happy with the answer. "What do you mean by messy? What happened exactly?" Pidge just shook their head.

 

"To be honest, I'm not one hundred percent sure. That planet was kind of weird; there was this thick fog everywhere so we couldn't really see anything. Something got my arm pretty bad and then one of those things, animals, snatched you and started to take you back to its den or whatever.  Hunk stayed with me; Shiro and Lance went after you.  I think Lance must have shot it cause when Hunk and I got to you guys the thing was gone," They tried to explain but ended with a shrug.

 

So, Lance had saved his life? "It sounds like we got our asses handed to us by some invisible alien wildlife and Lance and Shiro scared it off before it could carry me away to eat me or whatever. How is any of that complicated?" Pidge was supposed to make him less confused, not more.

 

"Because no one knows what really happened to mess you up so badly, except Shiro and Lance and they're not saying anything," Pidge grumbled with an exasperated tone, giving Keith a look that said they had tried to find out what had happened themselves numerous times already. "With all the fog, Hunk and I couldn't really see anything from where we were except Lance and Shiro chasing the thing that was dragging you away and all we heard was shouting and some shots. When we finally found them, they had you, the thing was gone, you were in critical condition, Shiro was livid, and Lance looked…I dunno. Kind of like the world was ending to be honest."

 

Some of that made sense but not all of it. How had he gotten hurt so badly? Just by being mauled? Would that have put him in a pod for a solid week? Shiro livid over him being hurt was kind of odd although…Shiro could be pretty overprotective of them all. Lance though…All of Keith's confusion kept coming back to Lance. He was going to ask more questions, had to ask more questions, but Pidge cut him off with a raised hand. "Look, if you want to know what happened you'll have to talk to Lance or convince Shiro to tell you," And that was all they would say on the matter. Keith wasn't sure that he could convince Shiro to do anything or find Lance. He was running out of ideas.

 

Moving to stand with a sigh, he gave Pidge a small but grateful smile. "Well, thanks Pidge. You filled in some of the gaps anyway."

 

Pidge was about to reply when Allura's voice came through the castle's version of a speaker system. "Paladins, please come to the bridge. We've received a message from a nearby planet,"

 

"Huh, that's kind of weird," Pidge mused as they stood and made their way out of the room, Keith falling into step with them. "Anyway, I was going to say: Try not to worry too much about it. Now that you're awake, I'm sure everything will be fine." Keith knew they were trying to be reassuring so all he could do was nod and silently hope that they were right.

 

It didn't take all of them long to gather on the bridge. Even Lance had come out from wherever he'd been hiding and joined them. Keith had tried to talk to him but Allura hadn't given them any chance for chatter before she had started briefing them on the message they had received. He ended up splitting his attention between listening to the princess and observing his fellow paladin. The usually bright and sarcastic member of their group was quiet and withdrawn, listening quietly and without comment. That in and of itself was weird but he looked awful on top of it. Keith couldn't decide if it was a trick of the castle light or if Lance looked pale, but he knew he wasn't mistaken on the dark circles under those uncharacteristically dull eyes. Was Lance not sleeping? He tried to get the other’s attention but Lance wouldn't meet anyone's gaze. Hunk, Pidge, and Coran kept throwing concerned glances his way and Allura kept subtly trying to pull him into the conversation. Nothing garnered a reaction from their friend. It was like he wasn't even there or that he was trying to have as little presence as possible.

 

"Lance," Shiro called and Keith was pretty sure no one missed Lance's flinch. "Are you paying attention?" The emotionless question had Keith giving their leader a surprised look. Wouldn't Shiro usually ask if they were ok if they looked like Lance did right now?  

 

"Yeah, of course," their sharpshooter’s voice held none of its usual confidence or volume and while he looked up to answer, Keith could tell that he wasn't meeting Shiro's gaze. "The Y’os want to form an alliance with us against Zarkon and asked to meet for a formal arrangement,"

 

Shiro didn't respond any more than a small nod before motioning for Allura to continue. She gave both Shiro and Lance a small frown before pressing on. "There is no way to tell if it's a trap so we must be on guard but at the same time we must not appear as though we do not trust our would-be allies. We haven't had many diplomatic missions. I think in this instance, as we cannot determine the authenticity of the message, we should land the castle and leave the Lions inside. Be civil, but prepared," she cautioned them. "We'll be arriving at Y’oscarth in just a few doboshes."

 

That was as much of a wrap up dismissal as Keith needed. He made a beeline for Lance, who was already walking out, when Hunk stopped him. "Hey man, I don't think he wants to talk to anybody right now." The yellow paladin looked conflicted as he gently gripped Keith's shoulder to keep him from going after Lance.

 

Keith just looked at him like he was crazy. "Did you see him? Somebody needs to talk to him-"

 

"I'll do it." Shiro interrupted them. Hunk looked like he was about to argue but Shiro didn't give him the chance. "I'll talk to Lance, now go get ready." With that he strode out of the room, leaving behind a very confused and frustrated Keith and an irritated Hunk.

 

"Come on," Hunk suggested as he motioned towards the door. "The quicker we get this alliance made, the quicker we can get back and try to sort out Lance," Keith supposed they didn't really have a choice. Resigning himself to just being confused for the foreseeable future Keith left with Hunk to prep their Lions and themselves for whatever this planet might throw at them.

 

Y’oscarth was a planet covered in a thick, tall forest but the coordinates in the message directed them to a small clearing just barely big enough for the castle. While Keith was sure that the facts Coran was rattling off about the current planet were both interesting and important, he was too busy surveying the surrounding trees. He had a bad feeling about this; the clearing was the perfect place for an ambush. He kept his concerns to himself as they walked out of the castle, the barrier opening briefly to let them out. It had been decided that Coran would stay behind to keep the barrier up and protect the Lions, but to also be ready to let them back in if need be. Their scanners hadn't detected anything in the air that would harm them, so they had left their helmets off but Keith wished he had his. The air here was heavy and…oppressive? Almost like the air was old and stale. It was a strange feeling, though not as strange as the group of people coming out of the trees to greet them.

 

The Y’os were apparently a humanoid race with very birdlike features. They were all incredibly tall and had wings that were structured more like a flying squirrel than a bird as they attached from their wrists to somewhere on their torso. It was hard to tell due to all the feathers. Their hands were talons and they had beaks of various shapes and sizes with eyes that were definitely more bird than human, set on very human like faces. Their skin matched the color of their feathers and most had feathers or patches of feathers growing on various parts of their body including torso, arms, legs, face, and hair. Their builds varied from thick and stocky to reed thin, but their strength was easily conveyed in the corded muscles clearly visible on torsos and legs. The Y’os wore little clothing; just some short leg covering that ranged from full pants to basic loin cloths. Keith hoped he wasn't the only one having trouble figuring out if the group was all the same gender or not.

 

"Welcome to Y’oscarth, Princess Allura and Paladins. I am Zriath, leader of the Y’os; we are most pleased that you are here. We worried that you had not received our message," Zriath was not the tallest one of their group but they cut an impressive figure. Their eyes were sharp, reminding Keith of a hawk, and their feathers were a mix of muted but not dull greys and warm reds, while their skin was a pleasant earthy blend of the two. They were dressed in long form fitting pants that looked like a sort of light armor with high mobility.   

 

Allura gave a small nod, not quite a bow but a show of respect none the less, as was expected. "It is an honor to be invited, Zriath. We only just received your message and came as soon as we could. It mentioned an alliance?"

 

Zriath nodded and motioned to the group behind them. "We heard of you and your fight against the Galra from some former prisoners that have taken refuge here. They say you freed them and are working to free everyone from Zarkon's grasp." Keith didn't recognize anyone in the group behind Zriath but he had noticed that not all of them were Y’os. They had freed so many prisons on Pidge's hunt for Matt, it was hard to say which one these refugees had come from. "We wish to offer help."

 

Allura looked thoughtful for a moment before venturing a question. "In what way and what would you wish for in return? Protection from the Galra?" Zriath seemed puzzled by the second half of the question but Keith wasn't surprised that Allura had asked. While they hadn't had many simple diplomatic meetings with the various alien races they had come across, they’d had some bad experiences. Some planets just wanted protection, but couldn't offer anything in return and were upset when Voltron couldn't be everywhere at once. "I apologize if my question seems forward, but as powerful as Voltron and its Paladins are, we cannot be everywhere at once. The Galra have a massive force and we still number few. We always welcome allies, but to be true allies, this must be a give and a take."

 

Comprehension lit Zriath's eyes and Keith tensed. He couldn't read the Y’os' expressions and had no idea if they had been offended or not. "Ah, I understand completely," Their tone was understanding and patient and the red paladin relaxed, noticing Shiro did as well. "We ask for nothing in return; only that you let us help. We are capable warriors but we make much better…secret keepers," they explained and Allura's expression turned confused.

 

"I'm not sure what you mean," she admitted with a small shrug and Keith could have sworn Zriath smiled. Could an Y’os even smile?

 

"Spies, princess. We Y’os make excellent spies." Keith was pretty sure that was a smile.

 

"Not to be rude," Pidge was looking Zriath up and down, a small frown on their face. "But you seem like you would stick out in a crowd."

 

"Pidge!" Hunk exclaimed, obviously surprised that their friend would risk offending their potential allies but Zriath, and many of the other Y’os that were with them, just laughed.

 

"The little one is right. Though I think they, of all people, must know not to judge someone by appearances, no?" The Y’os leader only seemed amused by Pidge's comment and Keith had to be grateful that they hadn't ruffled any feathers. _'Great, now I'm coming up with puns. Lance is wearing off on me.'_ The red paladin mentally shook himself and focused back on the conversation while trying to keep himself from sneaking glances at Lance who had been so quiet that if Keith hadn't been so worried about him, he might not have even known he was there.

 

"It's true that we stand out in a crowd but did you not find it odd that you're scans picked up nothing when you landed and yet we were here to greet you so quickly?" Zriath challenged with good natured intent. Keith _had_ thought that was odd but it was Hunk who spoke up.

 

"I just thought you were super-fast or flew here or….something," He trailed off, looking confused and thoughtful. Zriath just chuckled.

 

"We've been here since you entered our planet's orbit. We were in the trees waiting for you to land. You see, we camouflage very well in just about any environment, we are silent, and since we have started resisting the Galra in our own way some 500 hundred years ago, we have grown quite adept at gathering information and feeding the Galra false information of our own. We have many nests, outposts, on other planets, both under Galra control and not, that serve as our network. We use them to send information and help refugees find new homes. Our numbers, in comparison to the Galra, are few so we don't fight them outright if we can help it, but we can hold our own if necessary."

 

Allura and the Paladins turned to look at each other. There wasn't much to decide; they needed the help and if the Y’os could protect themselves, that was one less planet to worry about. Plus, to have an information network, to be able to plan instead of react, as well as a way to get people either to safety or to help them train up to fight was something they couldn't pass up.

 

They all nodded to Allura and she relaxed a little as she turned back to Zriath and the other Y’os. "Zriath, we humbly and gratefully accept your help. Together we can work to bring an end to Zarkon and his empire."

 

A cheer rose up from the group of Y’os and Zriath suggested that they all come back to the village for a small celebration to cement the alliance.

 

The rest of the night was kind of a blur for Keith. There was music and dancing and more food than any of them had seen in awhile.  He spent most of it looking for Lance while fending off what he thought were either flirtatious advances or duel challenges; he honestly couldn't be sure which were which or if they were same when it came to the Y’os. Everyone was so distracted by the party that he was hoping to catch a few uninterrupted moments with the blue paladin. Finding him shouldn't have been hard; Lance was always the life of a party. He just seemed to be able to move around any group with ease and he was generally loud enough to find or his admirers usually were. Keith had found Shiro and Hunk, both with their fair share of admirers, he'd found Pidge deep in conversation with a Y’os named Iveeq who was apparently the Y’os' top researcher, and he'd found Allura and Coran speaking with Zriath and what Keith could only assume was a leadership council of some kind. There wasn't any sign of Lance though; no joyful boisterous laughter, no outrageous flirting attempts, no scandalized Y’os running to Zriath. Although, Keith wasn't entirely sure the Y’os knew how to be scandalized, if the offers Shiro and Hunk were receiving were anything to go by. That thought made Keith pause. If the Y’os were as open as they seemed to be then maybe… _'Maybe someone finally took Lance up on his flirting.'_

 

Something twisted sharply in his gut at that thought and if he could have stabbed the little voice in his head he would have. The red paladin didn't have to guess at what that feeling was; He was jealous of whoever might be getting Lance's affection. Keith shook his head sharply. No, he wanted to find Lance to see what was wrong with him and check on his friend, because he'd looked terrible before this mission and Keith wanted to find out had happened on their last mission. It didn't have anything to do with the fact that Lance may be with some random Y’os. That's what he was going to keep telling himself anyway.

 

He had just decided to head back to the castle and try looking for Lance there when all hell broke loose. An explosion at the village had him running back to the others where he was met with the sight of trees burning and people running or fighting the Galra force that had appeared out of nowhere. Keith didn’t hesitate to jump in and join the fray, keeping an eye out for his fellow paladins and Allura. The princess was fighting back to back with Zriath, while Coran was also back to back with an Y’os Keith didn't know. Shiro was holding his own, taking down one Galra tech soldier after another. Hunk and Pidge were teamed up; the yellow paladin mowing down any enemies that tried to reach the building full of refugees behind him and Pidge picking off the stragglers. Keith swore as he took down a soldier who was trying to sneak up on him from behind. Where in the hell was Lance? Keith hadn't had to worry about his back in so long that he'd nearly seriously screwed up there. Lance usually found a spot on high ground and focused his fire on watching all the Paladins' backs, but that was absent from their current battle. In fact, Keith hadn't seen or heard any of Lance's bayard's shots.

 

_'Where is he?'_ He was starting to panic. If Lance wasn't shooting anything then he might be hurt or unable to use his bayard. Keith's fights became less about clearing out the Galra and more about finding Lance and just quickly eliminating any Galra that got in his way. When he finally found him, it wasn't relief he felt but another surge of panic. Lance was fighting one on one with a very skilled Galra, wielding what looked like a spear. As Keith got close enough, he realized that Lance wasn't fighting with his bayard but a long staff and he wasn't doing well. Before Keith could reach them, the staff was knocked out of Lance's hands and sent flying. Keith saw him reach for his bayard but then…Lance hesitated and that one moment was all it took for the Galra to take its spear and pierce Lance straight through the torso.

 

"Lance!" It didn't register to Keith that he was the one screaming and he didn't remember taking out the Galra. One minute he was too far away and the next, the Galra was dead and Keith had Lance in his arms. "Lance? Lance, come on answer me, damn it!"

 

There was a weak cough that brought blood to Lance's lips as his eyes blinked open. "I hear you, Red." Was all he managed before he cringed in pain.

 

"Just hang in there, ok? What in the hell is wrong with you?! Why didn't you shoot him?!" Keith didn't really expect any answers but his panic was making it impossible to hold them back. Lance just gave him a look that Keith couldn't decipher.

 

“I-It’s ok...” Lance murmured, his voice trailing off into something that Keith didn’t catch before his eyes flickered closed again.

 

"Shit. Somebody help!" He called as he tried to stand, holding Lance to his chest. Later he would wonder if Lance had always weighed so little, but right now he was just focusing on getting Lance to someone who could help. "Coran!" The older Altean was running towards them with Allura, Shiro, and Zriath in tow.

 

"What happened?" Allura demanded as Coran got to work looking at Lance's wound.

 

"He was fighting a Galra but he didn't use his bayard. He hesitated and…" Keith just looked at them in clear desperate confusion. "Why wouldn't he use his bayard?" Shiro's expression did something complex, shifting from surprised, to confused, to some mix of anger and remorse before he got himself under control and only exuded calm.

 

Their leader moved to take Lance from Keith and stood. "We need to get him back to the castle."  Coran moved to stop Shiro and shook his head.

 

"He won't make it that far," It was said with a heaviness and finality that Keith couldn't handle. He was about to tell them to _do something_ , scream it if he had to, when Zriath spoke up.

 

"We have things in the village that will help. Come, quickly," they motioned back towards the village and set off at quick pace.

 

Keith stayed close to Shiro as they made their way back. He could tell that he was trying not to jostle Lance too much, but they were all favoring speed more than anything. It hadn't taken them that long to get back to the center of the village, but when Shiro laid Lance down on a little cot inside one of the undamaged buildings, he was paler than Keith had ever seen him and his breathing was shallow. Zriath had left them to find their healer and was thankfully back before Keith could get anxious enough to go look for them. "This is Scisa and Alita; they will look after your young friend." The Y’os leader didn't waste any more time than that. They directed Scisa and Alita towards Lance and started to usher the rest of them out.

 

"I'm not going anywhere," Keith protested, shrugging off Zriath's hand on his shoulder. They were crazy if they thought he was going to leave this room.

 

"You will only be in the way. He is not so far gone that he needs you here to ground him." Zriath argued gently and Keith didn't have the right frame of mind to even begin processing what that meant. "Please come and allow our healers to do their work. They will save your _towraw_."

 

With one last look at Lance, Keith allowed himself to be led out. Shiro and Allura were already outside, having left when Zriath had first asked. It looked and sounded like they were arguing, but when they saw Keith, they quieted. He was getting really sick of that.

 

"How is he?" The Princess asked, her tone conveying her worry. Zriath just placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

 

"Scisa and Alita are our best healers and we got here before he'd lost too much blood. He will be fine," they assured just as Hunk and Pidge walked up. Shiro quickly filled them in and Keith was left to his own devices.

 

It wasn't until much later, when Lance was stable enough to move to the castle and into a healing pod and they were saying their goodbyes to the Y’os, that Keith remembered what Zriath had said to him about keeping Lance grounded. He lingered after the others turned to enter the castle and the Y’os leader just looked at him expectantly.

 

"Zriath I…have a question; two actually. When Lance was hurt, you said he wasn't so far gone that I needed to ground him and then you called him my to-…tor-" He couldn't pronounce the word the same. Thankfully Zriath knew what he meant and didn't let him struggle for long.

 

"Your _towraw_ ," they supplied before continuing. "Often times when one _cziraw_ is injured and close to passing we have found that having the other half close by can give them something to focus on, to live for if you will, and give the healers more time to save the life. It doesn't always work but it has worked often enough that it is common practice to keep _cziraws_ , lovers, together when they are injured."

 

Keith frowned in surprise and confusion. That didn't line up with Zriath making him leave and they were using a different word now _: lovers?_ Where had that come from? Just as he was about to ask, the Y’os chuckled slightly.

 

"I can see from your expression that I have not answered your question. I made you leave the blue paladin's side, because he was not close enough to death to need you to focus on or use you as a reason to live. You really would have only been in the way. I called him your _towraw,_ your partner, because while your feelings are easy to see, I do not think you have expressed them. You are not yet _cziraws_ but he means much to you.”

 

"W-what?" Keith was stunned. "How could you-? There's nothing-. We're not-" His ability to form complete sentences was gone so he gave up in a defeated huff. Zriath said nothing, they just simply waited. He had to wonder…what was the point in denying the truth to someone outside the team? "I didn't think I was being that obvious about it." He finally muttered, giving the tall alien a side long glance. He was pretty sure they were smiling again; the beak made it hard to tell.

 

"Perhaps not to your team but to someone from the outside…" they trailed off with a shrug before their expression turned something close to concerned. "The blue one, he was…most troubled when you arrived. Ghian told me that he spoke with him a little." That was news to Keith. Who the hell was Ghian? And why would Lance talk to them but not any of the other paladins? Why wouldn't Lance talk to _him?_ If Zriath noticed his internal struggle with his sudden flare of jealousy, they made no comment. "He said that the blue one told him some…things that caused Ghian concern though he would not tell me what. He only asked that I ask you to speak to the blue paladin."

 

_'I've been trying to damn it.'_ Keith kept the thought to himself. "I appreciate the concern. There was a mission about a week ago that we're still…recovering from. I'll talk to him." If he could find him.

 

Zriath did not seem completely satisfied with his answer but they didn't press any further. "I wish you luck and good hunting Red Paladin." It was the traditional Y’os goodbye. Keith replied with another thank you and turned to head into the castle. Right before he was inside, he heard Zriath call out to him, making him pause and turn back to them. "You should tell him, young one. He was almost taken from you. Do not waste this second chance." With that, they turned and left, heading back into the forest and leaving Keith with his thoughts.

 

It had been three days since they'd left Y’oscarth and Keith was no closer to figuring out what had happened on "the mission no one would talk about" or deciding if, and how, he was going to tell Lance how he felt. He couldn’t stay in the healing bay while they waited for Lance to wake up; He had too much restless energy. The red paladin had spent most of his time on the training deck trying not to think about it or in his room thinking about it. He'd never admitted it to anyone but Shiro, but he'd known exactly who Lance was when he'd shown up that night outside of the tent that they were holding Shiro in back on Earth; The bright glow of sunshine in the otherwise bleak and gray Garrison with the beautiful smile and laugh. Keith had spent most of his classes just staring at him and trying not to be obvious about it. He supposed he had succeeded a little too well in that department, since Lance seemed to think that they were rivals; seemed to hate him most of the time. Or at least he had at first.

 

Before the resource mission and before Y’oscarth, he and Lance had been getting along. A little more than getting along, if he was being honest. Lance had started _flirting_ with him. Not the overtop nonsense that he pulled on every new planet; this was much more low key. At first, he hadn't even been sure; He wasn't exactly super experienced at this sort of thing. So, he hadn't responded, instead acting like he hadn't noticed. Lance started to make it a little more obvious: teasing touches during training, hanging out with just him more instead of Hunk and Pidge, dropping complements when they were talking or a just a 'hey looking good, Red' in the mornings. One time, during training, Keith had been feeling brave and had actually flirted back. Lance had been so surprised and flustered that Hunk, who he had been training with at the time, knocked him flat while he wasn't paying attention. That alone would have made it worth it but then they just… kept subtly flirting back and forth. They never said anything or brought up whatever was happening between them. It was an acknowledgment of a possible shared interest but nothing more. The only problem was that Keith's emotions had quickly spiraled out of his control. What had started as a crush at the Garrison had turned into something much deeper, something much more important; something Keith was terrified to give a name. He supposed Zriath had done that for him though.

 

Standing from his bed with a sigh, Keith decided to make a trip to the healing bay and check on Lance. He was nearly barreled over by a yellow blur as Hunk ran past. "Hunk! What's wrong?" He called and the other paladin stopped and rushed back towards him.

 

"Keith! Oh thank goodness I found somebody. It's Lance," he paused as he tried to catch his breath and Keith could have shaken him.

 

"What about Lance? Hunk, what's wrong with Lance?" He demanded, grabbing Hunk's arm and dragging him in the direction of the med bay. He'd only gotten five steps when Hunk pulled him up short.

 

"Wait, he's…he's not there! Lance is gone. I left the med bay for like two ticks to grab something from Pidge and when I came back he was gone. Coran said he wasn’t going to be out until tomorrow." Hunk was panicking; Keith knew that sometimes his friend exaggerated when he freaked out. He forced himself to take a deep breath to try and calm himself before he tried to speak so it wouldn't come out as a growl.

 

"What do you mean he's gone?" Judging by Hunk's face he had not succeeded.

 

Hunk shifted from foot to foot clearly nervous and wanting to be doing anything other than standing still. "His pod is empty and he's not in his room. I checked the shuttles and they're all here so he hasn't _left_ but-"

 

"Have you checked his Lion?" Keith couldn't help but cut Hunk off, but Hunk just shook his head.

 

"I was on my way there when I ran you over. Sorry about that, but Lance…" He made a gesture with his hands that Keith interpreted as an apology but he waved it off.

 

"It's fine. We need to find Lance. I'll check the Lions, you check with the others," he suggested as he took off in the direction of the Lions. Somewhere in the back of his mind he could hear Red telling him not to panic. He wasn't sure that was something that he could do right now. He was going to give Lance an earful when he found him.

 

It took him longer than we would have liked to reach the hangers, but once he had, he made a beeline for the Blue Lion. "Lance?" He called, not entirely sure he'd get an answer. "Lance, are you here? Come on man you're freaking everybody out." Keith waited for a few seconds…nothing. He'd really been hoping he'd be here and wouldn't be pulling this disappearing act as soon as he woke up. Just as he was about to leave the hanger he heard a soft growl that definitely wasn't Red. Keith whipped back around to face the Blue Lion. "Blue? Are you…talking to me?" He hadn't realized that the Lions could talk to any of them and not just their paladins. "You know where Lance is," It hit him like a solid wall of relief. "Where?" The Blue Lion's hatch opened and the cord they used to get in and out, lowered. Keith didn't hesitate in taking it up to the cockpit and that's where he found Lance, curled up in the pilot's seat fast asleep. Breathing a sigh of relief, he sent a strong mental thank you to Blue as he made his way over to him. "Lance," he called as he gently shook his shoulder. "Wake up, Lance."

 

Lance was slow to wake, his eyes struggling to stay shut for a few moments before he blinked up at Keith. "Keith?" His voice was quiet and rough from being in a healing pod for three days. "What are you doing here?" His question didn't hold any heat just honest and tired curiosity.

 

Keith couldn't even stay mad at him. "I should be asking you that. You just got out of a healing pod. What are you doing in Blue's cockpit?" It seemed like a perfectly normal question to a not so normal situation, but it still took Lance a moment to answer. Maybe he was still groggy from the pod?

 

"I woke up alone so I came to talk to Blue," Lance explained as he moved to stand wincing a little as he did so. "I didn't mean to worry you. The others are probably looking for me too, huh? We should go and-"

 

"Lance wait." Keith was as surprised as Lance when he cut the other off. Lance's expression was apprehensive and he looked like he wanted to run, but Keith had already started so he might as well just dive in. "Look there’s something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about but ever since that resource mission, everything’s been weird and I don't know why." The color was draining out of Lance's face and if Keith hadn't reached out to gently grip his arm, he was sure the other would have run. "We…I don't know what we're doing with this _thing_ between us to be honest but I want-"

 

"Keith, Lance!" Lance practically jumped away from Keith as Shiro's voice rang through the hanger. He was even paler than before and he wouldn't meet Keith's gaze. He'd been so close too. Letting out a soft sigh, he moved to the edge of the cockpit and looked down at their team.

 

"I've found him. We'll be right down," he called before turning back to Lance. He was going to just finish, to lay it all out while he had the chance but Lance was moving to leave.

 

"We shouldn't keep the others waiting." He said it so quietly Keith almost missed it. It wouldn't have mattered though, Lance was already heading down the cord to be swooped up into Coran's post healing pod ministrations and Keith could only watch him go.

 

It had been a week since the attack on Y’oscarth and Lance had woken up from the pod. Almost three weeks since "the mission that no one wanted to talk about", as Keith had started to call it. It was becoming more and more obvious that things were not ok. They hadn't been able to form Voltron. Shiro and Hunk were barely speaking; exchanging no more than what was necessary to get through training or a meal. Pidge was as on edge as Keith was; the both of them sharing frustrated and confused glances at each other every time Shiro and Hunk said something just barely civil to each other. And Lance…something was definitely still wrong with Lance.

 

The Blue paladin would leave the kitchen at the earliest or latest hours, usually just as the rest of the team came in or he would come in just as the rest of the team was leaving. Each glimpse they saw of him was worse than the last and Keith was slowly losing his mind. He'd tried to stop and talk to the other paladin on numerous occasions, but either Lance gave him some kind of excuse and ran off, or Hunk waylaid him, giving Lance enough time to slip away again. It was driving Keith insane. Eventually Lance stopped coming to meals all together. Coran would always leave enough food out for him but no one actually saw him eat anything. He'd show up for training sessions, carefully avoiding both himself and Shiro. Keith was frustrated that he didn't remember what had happened on that stupid mission, frustrated that he couldn't catch Lance to talk to him about _them_ , and frustrated that no one else seemed concerned. Keith was done.

 

"Lance!" Keith called during their latest training session. "Let's pair up. It's been awhile since I kicked your ass." Surely a challenge wouldn't go ignored by the Blue Paladin; not his previously self-proclaimed rival. Lance would have to at least _look_ at him this way. Hopefully they could talk after. Keith had been prepared for a snarky comeback or a returned challenge. What he had not been prepared for was how utterly terrified Lance looked at the idea. The red paladin could actually see the panic starting to build in his fellow paladin but before he had the chance to say or do anything about it, Shiro was between them.

 

"Actually, I was planning on sparring with you, Keith. Lance could do with some target practice with the drones." His voice was steady and even but he gave Lance a look that Keith couldn’t decipher. It had looked close to his disappointed face but…angrier? Lance was doing a fairly good job of hiding his reaction but Keith was watching him too closely not to notice the hurt that flashed across his face. He left without a word and Keith watched him go before rounding on Shiro.

 

"What the hell was that?" He demanded, loud enough for Hunk and Pidge to stop their training and glance over. Keith didn't pay their hesitant approach any mind. He was determined to get answers; especially for what Shiro had just pulled for no reason.

 

"What was what?" Shiro replied with a shrug as if nothing had happened, which only served to piss Keith off further.

 

"You know exactly what," he growled. "There was no reason to get between me and Lance. If I can tell that something's wrong with him then it has to be obvious to the rest of you! Damn it ,what is going on?!" Keith hadn't realized that he'd been raising his voice as he spoke, so he was surprised to hear the soft worried growl in the back of his mind. Red was reacting to his emotions; concerned over how upset he was. He tried to send her some feeling of reassurance back but it was hard when he wasn't feeling it himself.

 

For a few long moments, no one answered him and it took all of his self-control not to pull at his own hair. "Well? It wasn't a rhetorical question."

 

Shiro just shook his head. "It's nothing Keith; just leave it alone."

 

"Yeah, no one believes that Shiro," Hunk spoke up and Keith had never seen this particular expression on his face before. If he hadn't known the yellow paladin as well as he did, he would have thought that Hunk wanted to punch Shiro in the face. Pidge didn't look overly impressed either.

 

"Look, Lance has barely spoken a word to any of us since that crazy fog planet and we've barely even seen him since Y’oscarth. Lance not talking is weird enough but…he doesn't hang out with us anymore either." Even Pidge sounded weirded out and concerned and maybe even a little…sad? The green and blue paladins had become something like siblings in their time out in space. Keith knew that Lance liked hanging out with them, especially when they were tinkering, and Pidge didn't mind nearly as much as they said they did. Maybe the silence was starting to get to all of them.

 

Shiro just gave them an equally unimpressed look in return. "Maybe he's finally taking this whole thing more seriously," he ground out, crossing his arms. That took all of them aback. Sure, Shiro had lectured Lance about being more serious in certain situations before but he'd never lectured Lance about taking Voltron more seriously or sounded so honest and vehement about it. Apparently, that was the last straw for Hunk.

 

"You are being such an ass right now!" Had Keith ever heard Hunk swear? He was pretty sure he hadn't. Obviously neither had Shiro because the black paladin looked just as surprised. "I don't know what you said to him before we landed on Y’oscarth, but whatever it was has completely _crushed_ him. He can't even look any of us in the eye. We can't form Voltron! You _blame_ him which is just so many levels of not cool and not fair-"

 

"Not _fair?!"_ Shiro caught him off with a low growl. "You think any of this is _fair_ ?! Fair has nothing to do with it. He messed up, Hunk, and he needs to own that. This isn't the Garrison anymore. This isn't some simulation where you try your best and if it doesn't work out then oh well you try again tomorrow. We could _die_ out here," he finished, motioning around them as if to emphasize _‘out here’_.

 

"Don't you think he knows that? He nearly got himself killed because he won't use his bayard!" Hunk countered, not backing down in the slightest. "You weren't at the Garrison when he was trying his hardest. You have no idea what he went through there. And anyway, the Garrison isn't even the point! We're talking about here and how you're leading this team! He knows we could die. We all know that. He knows he messed up, but damn it, Shiro, it was an accident. We've all messed up before!"

 

"And how many times have Keith, Pidge, you, or myself messed up enough that _two_ team members ended up in healing pods, Hunk?" Shiro demanded to know and Pidge outright laughed.

 

"You're joking, right? Keith has put us all in danger countless times. Fighting Zarkon on his own ringing any bells?" Keith couldn't even argue with that; didn't really want to with the way this conversation was going. "I've done it when I was dead set on finding my family and thought it was more important than Voltron. Hunk did it when Shay and her planet were in danger. Hunk's right, we've all done it. You just have a blind spot when it comes to Keith," they pointed out.

 

"What?" Shiro and Keith responded in unison. Hunk groaned and brought a hand to his face. Pidge just rolled their eyes before they continued.

 

"I shouldn't even be surprised. We get it; he's your protégé or whatever and you think of each other like brothers. But you tend to show some serious favoritism when it comes to Keith."

 

Some part of Keith felt like he should defend himself from being a part of this but… _did_ Shiro show him favoritism sometimes? He had made a lot of poor decision since joining Voltron, but he'd still asked him to lead it if anything should happen to him. When he and Lance argued, it was usually Lance who took the brunt of the lecture unless Keith was blatantly the worst offender. Keith received more solo missions than the others. Maybe Pidge was right. Even if they weren't, if that was how the rest of the team perceived it then did it really matter if they were or not?

 

Shiro had gone quiet and when Keith glanced over at him, his arms were crossed again. His expression was none too happy but also thoughtful as he stared at the floor. No one seemed willing to continue but Keith still felt left in the dark. "You still haven't told me what happened during that resource mission. Why… _How_ could you blame Lance for me, and I assume Pidge, ending up in healing pods?" He finally asked, making sure his tone conveyed that no one was leaving this room until he got some answers. The fact that Hunk had said Lance _wouldn't_ use his bayard was also weighing heavily on him but he decided to save that conversation for Lance.  

 

Shiro just looked at him for a moment before letting out a long and weary sigh. Keith had never seen him look so tired before. "When that…thing attacked us, we couldn't tell if there was one or more than one. With the fog, it was hard to see anything, even each other. It went after Pidge and Hunk first. A stray shot of Lance's hit Pidge's arm. After that I told him not to use his bayard; to just…try and stay out of the way," Keith mused that that was probably the wrong thing to say, especially to Lance, but he kept that thought to himself. He didn't want Shiro to stop or to start another argument. "When it grabbed you and drug you deeper into the fog, Lance and I ran after you. You had dropped your bayard and it must have had some serious claws or it had you in its jaws, because all of the sudden you let out this…scream." Hunk shuddered and Pidge grimaced.

 

"It was a really awful sound," the yellow paladin admitted and Shiro nodded in agreement.

 

"I don't know if Lance panicked or thought he could make the shot but…" he looked away and that disappointed angry expression was back. "He ended up hitting you. It was…really bad. To be honest we thought he'd killed you. He must have hit you and the creature though, because it dropped you and we were able to get to you but…" Shiro trailed off but it didn't really matter at that point. It all made sense to Keith now; the avoidance, the silence, Lance’s fear of using his bayard, all of it.

 

Keith looked at Shiro in disbelief that quickly turned into anger. "Hunk was right; you _are_ being an ass. I can't believe that you would blame him for that! That you would _keep_ blaming him for that. Especially after what happened on Y’oscarth! Pidge and I are both fine, Shiro! What the hell?!"

 

"You almost died! For a few moments you weren't breathing! I thought he'd killed you. He took an unnecessary risk after I had specifically told him to hang back and _not_ shoot. And Pidge could have lost that hand if we had gotten back to the castle any later! I didn't tell him to _not_ use his bayard on Y’oscarth!" Shiro tried to defend himself, but Keith was just shaking his head and making his way towards the door.

 

"I have to find Lance. You…you are such _an idiot_ , Shiro! Quiznack, don't you know anything about him? I'm surprised he's even still here. I have to find him and talk to him and then _you_ ," Keith turned and pointed a finger at Shiro. "Are going to apologize. Can't believe this," he muttered and continued stalking towards the door.

 

"You won't find him!" Hunk called and Keith stopped to glare at him. The yellow paladin threw his hands up in surrender as he hurried to explain. "I'm not hiding him! I seriously have no idea where he goes during the day. Coran, Allura, Pidge, and I have all tried looking for him but we can't find him." Keith's expression was getting darker and Hunk started to sweat a little under the pressure of his glare. "But according to the castle's security cameras and Coran, he comes here every night to train!" he finished in a rush, letting out a sigh of relief as Keith turned on his heel and left the training hall.

 

If what Hunk said was true then it would be a waste of time to look for Lance now, so Keith went back to his room to wait. As he was lying on his bed going over everything that he had learned he still couldn't believe that Shiro had blamed Lance for him getting hurt. It just…didn't seem like something Shiro would do. But then…if any of the others died because of something one of them had done, could Keith honestly say that he wouldn't react the same way? He'd thought he'd lost Shiro once and he'd almost lost both Shiro and Lance during that fight with Sendak; if either of those times had been directly caused by someone on their team…He closed his eyes with a sigh. No, he couldn't honestly say he wouldn't act the same but he wasn't sure he would either. A situation like that was hard to think about. Even picturing Lance after their fight with Sendak still gave him nightmares. It was why he needed to talk to him. Keith had seen glimpses under Lance's mask. He'd seen the insecurity and worry that he didn't belong here; that he wasn't part of the team. For something like this to happen and then to have someone like Shiro, their leader and someone Keith knew Lance looked up to, outright blame him for it…Keith was really worried about him.

 

As much as he was itching to hunt Lance down, he forced himself to wait until he was sure Lance would be in the training room before he started to make his way there. Nothing could have prepared him for what greeted him when he opened that door though.

 

Lance had two programs running: the gladiators and the drones. Just from watching, Keith could tell that the level on both was too high for someone fighting two programs by themselves at the same time but Lance seemed to be holding his own. He was using a combination of his bayard and the hand to hand that the team had been working on recently. Shiro had implemented more of it into their training regimen since the fog planet and the possibility of not being able to use their bayards had hit home. This was a side of Lance that Keith had never seen before. He was as fluid and graceful as water and as equally deadly. The gladiators couldn't touch him and the drones couldn't pin him down. When he fired, he never missed and drones dropped like flies. He even used some of the gladiators as shields and the drones dropped them for him. Keith was always amazed by the blue paladin's focus and concentration when he really put his mind to it; it was unrivaled and was the reason that he was such a good sharpshooter. There seemed to be a catch though and was the reason that Keith won most of their sparring matches. Lance could only hold the focus for so long and while he had amazing speed he lacked stamina. Keith could only watch as the other paladin took one misstep, a move that was a fraction too slow and not thought out, and a drone hit him square in the chest. A gladiator was on him before he even hit the ground and before Keith could get the words out to terminate the program, it sent him flying across the training deck.

 

"End training sequence!" Keith hurriedly called out to the castle's computer before another gladiator could start using Lance as a punching bag. The drones and gladiators immediately deactivated and the floor opened up to put them away. Keith rushed over to Lance who hadn't made any effort to get up yet. "Lance? You alright?" He asked worriedly as he helped Lance sit up with a groan. "We should probably get you to a pod for that one. What level did you have those things on?"

 

Lance didn't answer him right away but Keith was just glad that he wasn't running this time. Then again, maybe he couldn't after that hit. Keith would take what he could get. "I'm alright," Lance finally responded quietly. He wouldn't look at him though and he was clutching his side tightly. "If you'll just help me up, I'll get out of here and then you can have the deck to yourself," His voice lacked its usual charm or bravado and Keith had the sudden urge to shake him. He resisted.

 

"That's not why I'm here," he replied instead. "I came here to talk to you. You've been avoiding me; avoiding everyone really. I hadn't known why. I didn't remember what happened on that mission before Y’oscarth." Lance went stiff beside him and tried to pull away slightly; Keith didn't let him. "You're not running this time." Keith wasn't above calling him out and Lance went even stiffer but he stilled. "To be honest I still don't really remember all that much, but after you left earlier today I made the others tell me what happened. Lance.." he called softly, reaching out to make the other look at him. Lance's expression broke his heart. It was terrified and ashamed and Keith was pretty sure there were tears threatening to spill over any second. "Lance, it wasn't your fault," he finished quietly but firmly. He wanted Lance to know he meant it. Surprise, disbelief, then confusion all flitted across Lance's face in a matter of seconds before the blue paladin was ripping himself away from the other in confused rage.

 

"What are you talking about?! Of course it was my fault! Keith…Keith I…I shot you! I nearly killed you! Quiznack…." He trailed off and Keith could see he was shaking as he ran his hand through his hair, tugging at it harshly as he paced. "Shiro told me not to. I'd already hurt Pidge but then you made that god awful sound and I thought…I thought we were going to lose you for good and I couldn't…I wasn't going to let that happen so I just…but then…" Lance started speaking in Spanish and too fast for Keith to even distinguish words at that point but he could tell by the others tone that it wasn't good. He'd seen Lance's panic attacks before and they were heading in that direction. Standing and making his way towards the other, Keith firmly grabbed him by the shoulders to make him stop pacing but when he spoke his tone was gentle.

 

"Hey, it's alright. Just breathe for a minute," he tried to soothe him but Lance just shook him off.

 

"Don't you get it?! I-I thought you were dead! I…I thought I'd killed you." Lance's voice had gotten quieter towards the end and he collapsed to the ground, gripping his head. His shaking was getting worse and the tears were falling now. "You weren't breathing and Shiro…oh quiznack the look on Shiro's face. Every time I look at you…I see you lying there bleeding out and broken y todo fue culpa mía."

 

Keith's heart clenched at every word even the ones he didn't understand. Deciding to screw whatever consequences may come later, he sank to his knees next to Lance and gathered him up in his arms. "Hey, shhh. It really is alright," he murmured softly into the other's hair. "I'm right here and I'm fine. I don't blame you and Shiro shouldn't have. You were trying to save me. I should be thanking you. If you hadn't fired those shots, that thing may have eaten me," Lance let out a choked sound and Keith winced. Ok, maybe not the best thing to say but let's be honest; he probably wasn’t the best person for this. "Lance, come on. Look at me. Please?" He prodded gently and slowly Lance looked at up at him. He looked terrible with dark circles under his eyes and tears streaming down his face. He'd obviously missed a few of his skin treatments too but Keith couldn't have cared less. As he looked at the other he couldn't help but wonder if there was ever a time when Lance wasn't beautiful. "See? I'm right here and I'm fine," he repeated, wanting it to sink in and stick. "Everything's going to be alright. I'm not going anywhere, I don't blame you and I definitely don't hate you."

 

Lance just looked at him for a moment, searching his face for any sign of something other than what Keith was telling him, before he just dropped his head to Keith's shoulder. "Gracias a Dios," he breathed out tiredly. Keith just smiled and held him a little tighter, which Lance didn't seem to mind.

 

"Now come on, we need to get you into bed so you can sleep. You look terrible," he suggested moving to get the other to stand, but Lance refused to budge.

 

"I don't need sleep," the blue paladin grumbled from his place on Keith's shoulder and Keith couldn't help but chuckle.

 

"Oh yeah? What do you need then?" He asked with a small grin that soon faded when he saw the look Lance was giving him. It was determined, like Lance had suddenly come to a decision and wasn't going back.

 

When he responded it was with complete seriousness. "For you to shut up and kiss me." Had Keith heard that right? Lance was putting their feelings out there in the open and Keith was frozen. He could tell from Lance’s tone that he was serious but…was it the right time? Lance was obviously hurting in a lot of ways. Would Keith be taking advantage of him right now?

 

He must have been thinking for too long because Lance’s face started to crumble with worry and hurt and he was starting to pull away. No, no, Keith didn’t want him to pull away. Surging forward, Keith claimed Lance's lips for his own, effectively cutting off the apology that Lance had started. He had one hand in Lance's hair and one arm still wrapped around him, pulling him closer. How long had he thought about this? How long had he been trying to figure out if Lance’s flirting was serious or not?

 

Lance made a soft almost desperate sound against him and Keith could only deepen the kiss with a shiver in response. He felt hands on the front of his shirt gripping tightly and his grip on Lance tightened to keep them steady, which had Lance pulling away with a sudden hiss.

 

"What? What's wrong?" Keith managed to ask, a little breathless. He almost groaned as he looked Lance over; his hair was a complete mess from his fingers, his lips were wet and kiss swollen, and his eyes, god those eyes, were bright and excited but also tinged with…pain?

 

Lance gave him a rueful smile. "Sorry. The bot got me pretty good. Must have hit a sore spot," he explained, clutching his middle and Keith was suddenly reminded of what Hunk had said. _"He's been in here every night since we got back…He nearly got himself killed because he won’t use his bayard!”_

 

“Come on.” He said it like a suggestion, but he didn’t really give Lance much of a choice as he helped him up and lead him towards Lance’s room. “We’re going to talk and then we’re going to sleep. We can have Coran look you over tomorrow.”

 

Keith felt his heart do a weird flutter as Lance’s soft chuckle met his ears. “Whatever you say, Red.”

**Author's Note:**

> First things first: Thank you for reading!  
> Secondly: I am sorry not sorry for experimenting with Shiro. I love our space dad and his usual supportive space dadness but there IS some favortism between him and Keith. They are total bros (sorry, Sheith shippers. I am Broganes all the way). So I wanted to explore how Shiro might handle Keith getting really hurt; especially by one of their own. So there's that in case any of you were wondering. 
> 
> If anyone is interested I'm in the middle of writing the next part which will be from Lance's point of view and start from the first mission and continue on past where this one ends.  
> Comments are always welcome and thanks again!


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